


Loyalty

by TheMysteriousArtist



Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, My First Fanfic, Pining, Selectively Mute Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26508208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMysteriousArtist/pseuds/TheMysteriousArtist
Summary: Charles Calvin had always been an extremely loyal person, from the moment he was born and no matter what he did or in which situation he found himself in. He was loyal to his friends, to his dreams, to his work and his ambitions.He didn’t know why everything had to go wrong...Unless... maybe it didn’t...
Relationships: Charles Calvin & Henry Stickmin, Charles Calvin/Henry Stickmin
Comments: 23
Kudos: 310





	Loyalty

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, sooo...  
> This is my first time publishing anything, so I am open to any and all constructive criticism. I just hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Charles simply stared ahead, into the distance, his cold eyes clouded with emotion and pain, yet so, so hollow. Distant. Emotionless. Empty.

He didn’t have the slightest clue how he was supposed to feel at that very moment. Should he be furious, or shocked? Should he cry, or yell out in frustration? Should he feel relieved, or should he mourn for his losses?

He felt nothing, yet he was overwhelmed with emotion.

Feeling both alive, and dead.

Charles Calvin had always been an extremely loyal person, from the moment he was born and no matter what he did or in which situation he found himself in. He was loyal to his friends, to his dreams, to his work and his ambitions.

He had always been very hardworking. He worked hard to maintain a positive demeanor, to achieve his goal and become a pilot, to always complete whatever assignment they gave him, no matter how tough it was and no matter how long it took.

Although, that wasn’t always a good thing.

Because he was so happy and silly, a lot of people thought he was annoying or an idiot, so he didn’t have any friends.

Because he was so reliable, he was the go-to person for any dangerous missions, or whenever Galeforce needed a lift.

Because he worked so hard all the time, he got the least amount of vacation time, and the least amount of free time.

At the time, of course, he didn’t really mind. He had nothing else to do, after all, and he loved the rush and adrenaline of flying. That feeling of freedom up in the skies, away from the ground and surrounded by clouds. There really was nothing quite like it. 

Charles had thought he was content with his life. That he could live out the rest of his years doing as he was at the moment, even if he was still in his early 20’s. He had a good job, decent pay, and an incredible amount of reliability. He thought he wouldn’t need anything more...

At least, that was the case... until he met him...

It had been a completely normal day when it happened. He thought he was simply helping out the general with another one of his missions. Not once had he considered even the slightest possibility that, on this specific day, his whole world would be changed entirely, never to be the same ever again.

They had been tasked with the capturing of one of the biggest thieves Charles had ever heard of, with an attempted robbery of a bank, escaping of prison and the robbery of the Tunisian diamond.

Henry Stickmin had definitely been an interesting man, when they had first met. Since Charles had been so focused on flying, he didn’t actually bother looking at the criminal when they arrived at the Toppat airship. Although he didn’t turn around to see him, he still made sure to listen for any danger, just in case Henry tried to do anything to flee.

That mission was the most fun Charles had in a very long time. He was a little upset when it had to come to an end after he and Henry had gotten the files they needed.

Although the silent thief never said a word, Charles knew that they had immediately gotten along, if his rusty sign language was to be believed. They got to spend time together and get to know each other when the general ordered Charles to take Henry to his home. After that mission, Charles thought he wouldn’t see Henry ever again. He had been saddened, of course, since the one friend he hadn’t managed to annoy was a ‘former’ bad guy, but he tried his best not to think about it. He thought he would simply forget about him, and continue living his peaceful life.

Boy was he wrong.

About three months later, Charles found himself subconsciously thinking of the burglar. After all, what other reason did Charles have to suddenly start practicing his sign language years after he stopped having a reason to continue his studies? He could think of no reason, other than the man he tried so hard to forget.

His life had suddenly lost that excitement and joy he craved. He had been content beforehand, but now? He felt like something was missing. His once calm and serene life now boring to him, no matter how many missions he went on, all because of that one mission with him, the only successful mission he had ever worked with a partner.

All of his partners were always the same: the complete opposite of how Henry had been.

His partners were always annoying, never let him help, never considered his plans, MUTED him on their earpiece, and most of the time they barely managed to complete their assignment thanks to Charles’ ‘stupid’ ideas. Afterwards, they would get pissed because, according to them, Charles always took the credit for their accomplishments. So, he was always having to work with different people, only to have them complain and demand a different partner.

He hadn’t minded for a long time, but after meeting Henry? He longed for another mission to be like that: fun and with cooperation from both sides. A good companionship and great teamwork on an exciting and dangerous mission.

He had been on a mission to deliver a message to another government base pretty far away when it occurred, about the fact that some of the Toppat’s captured members had escaped. For example, this guy named Burt Curtis, who was apparently in charge of communications. After a few hours of flying, he heard the familiar tone of a call emitting from his headset. He, of course, answered, thinking it would be from the general.

The person calling him was Henry, who had miraculously managed to keep his phone number memorized for months. He had explained how he needed help to escape from the Wall, using the minimal amount of words to do so since he clearly wasn’t comfortable speaking so much, and was asking if Charles could swing by.

Charles had quickly checked his coordinates to see if he was near while Henry explained the circumstances, which he was, and evaluated the situation. If he helped him, the general would finally have nearly enough proof to shut that place and concrete proof that they were, in fact, arresting people who were legally innocent. Besides that, it would only delay his mission for about an hour or two, and, even though he’d be a little late, he would be helping out his friend.

Charles, of course, would’ve accepted regardless, since he was a loyal, friendly guy.

Still, two birds with one stone.

He agreed to pick him up, and, after a long hour of having the most fun Charles had since last time they worked together, they were both finally on their way to the base Charles had been heading to in the first place. Since the flight still had a few hours to go, not including the way back, they got to know each other better. Henry noticed that he had been practicing his sign language and he helped Charles practice (Well, as best as you can sign while driving a helicopter, since Henry wasn’t speaking out loud. Not that Charles minded, of course) and, in return, Charles taught him some of the basics on how to fly a helicopter.

That was one of Charle’s fondest memories.

After that, the friendship between the two of them only grew.

Henry ultimately decided to join the military, and work side by side with him. He had been overjoyed when he heard those news, working with his best friend up in the light blue sky. They began to hang out after work, eventually acting as if they had known each other for years upon years. 

After a while, Charles felt his admiration for the man grow stronger and stronger, their friendship becoming much more to him than he could’ve ever imagined. He quickly grew attached to Henry, and everything about him seemed to brighten his day. The way he worked, the way he dressed so simply all the time and still managed to look fantastic, the way he expressed himself without the need of words, how Charles dedicated himself to memorizing what every one of his tics, twitches, and expressions meant, his crazy yet effective plans, the fact that his pockets somehow always had just what he needed, and a few things he never needed, his cooperation, the way his voice sounded in the rare moments he would speak, the way he never seemed to grow sick of Charles or his never ending rambling, simply listening with interest, the fact that all his skills were self taught, the way he knew exactly how a criminal would think, the fact that he was extremely clever and crafty, yet a bit childish and funny...

The fact that he never once wanted to change partners, even getting upset when recommended to do so by his colleagues, and simply liked Charles for being Charles...

It was like Henry was everything Charles had ever wanted, and more.

His affection grew, yet he never spoke a word about it, fearing that it would ruin the perfect companionship between the two.

Charles had never felt happier.

Until one fateful day...

The day started off like any other, they received a mission to infiltrate a Toppat base, out in the jungle. They were meant to stop a rocket of sorts from launching, allowing them to go into orbit and attack any place on the planet extremely easily.

He remembered that they both worked really hard on the mission, and it was going surprisingly well...

Charles didn’t remember much about what had happened, his memory foggy and fuzzy as he got a headache the harder he tried to remember, yet he continued to try until he couldn’t concentrate on his surroundings anymore.

A SAM turret had badly damaged his helicopter, but they had managed to escape the burning vehicle when it crashed. Charles had received a lot of damage, but he didn’t think much of it. His adrenaline wasn’t allowing him to feel all the bruises and burns littered across his body.

Instead, he snuck with Henry into the base, both of them trying their best to get into the rocket and planning to call for backup on their way out, until...

Charles looked behind, a feeling of uneasiness and alarm looming over him, and saw many men, from the clan and from the complex, all pointing their guns at them. But they weren’t just pointing their guns at them...

They were aiming for Henry.

Time had slowed for Charles, yet at the same time, it all went by in a flash. All he recalled was that he immediately pushed Henry out of the way, ignoring his cry of protest...

And landed himself right into the crossfire, loud bangs flooding his senses as he hit the cold floor.

He wasn’t too sure what happened next, since, he assumed, he had fainted after a bit due to blood loss. After what he assumed to be a really long time, he slowly drifted back into consciousness. General Galeforce was by his side, trying to shake him awake, but it only worked for a few short moments. Charles lifted up his hand slightly to his stomach, noticing all of the blood from his wounds pooling down into a puddle on the floor, before allowing his hand to drop limp, much like the rest of his body. His entire being went slack, making his head turn in a different direction as he was held up.

His entire being was wrapped up in loose bandages, some of the bleeding being blocked or absorbed by the threads. It looked like he should’ve been in unbelievable pain, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t feel any pain, yet he could feel texture and shape of the bullets inside of him, in his arms, torso, chest... 

He knew it was supposed to hurt, but he just couldn’t feel anything. His mind was numb and his head fuzzy, his eyes focusing and unfocusing on everything around him.

As he groggily turned his head slowly from side to side, he somehow managed to notice all of the government helicopters and soldiers lurking about. He appeared to be outside, on the forest floor, a trail of blood the only proof he had been dragged or carried out after being knocked out. The rocket had vanished from view, the only evidence it had been there being the big, empty space it was meant to launch in. He quickly put together that the Toppats had succeeded, but as he drifted away, he could remember a single question, clear as day, roaming and taking over his foggy mind before he lost his grip on reality...

‘Where’s Henry..?’

Next time he woke up, he was at the med bay of his base. Everything was still fuzzy and numb, except this time, it was because he was drugged with so many of painkillers. He immediately panicked and demanded answers, attempting to stand up only to be swarmed by nurses forcing him to sit down. All of their answers blending together to become a meaningless string of murmurs, he shook his head in a poor attempt to comprehend. He asked everyone to quiet down, and was instantly met with complete silence. 

When he asked his question, everyone ignored it and asked about his health, playing dumb to his protests and wishes to be answered.

When he finally got his answer, it wasn’t the one he wanted, no... needed to hear.

The general was the one who finally told him after a few days of extreme worry.

“The Toppats were successful in their launch, and now, they’re impossible to reach. The only thing we found at that base was you. Your wounds were treated as best they can out in the field before we arrived, but there was nobody in sight. That includes your partner. I’m sorry, Charlie...”

That’s the moment that Charles felt something in him snap, triggering a complete change of his demeanor. He stopped being himself, stopped smiling, stopped talking, stopped eating, stopped being happy.

Stopped pretending everything was fine.

Henry was the only good thing he had received in his entire life.

Friends? Apart from him, he had none.

Family? Had disowned him and left him on the streets to fend for himself.

Coworkers? Hardly spoke with him, most of them detesting, disgusted by, or not caring about him.

And now, the only good thing in his world was gone, ripped right out of his arms and away from his grasp.

He simply stared into the distance for hours on end, only snapping out of his spiral of guilt and self loathing when the nurses came for his daily check up or the occasional visits from the general, and even then, his mind was cloudy with the trance of grief.

After he was allowed to leave, he refused to go on any more missions, or pair up with anyone else. After all, what was the point if they were simply going to leave or hate him, just like everyone else? Galeforce allowed him to do so, hoping that he would eventually go back to normal if given time to heal.

Everyone either pitied him or they would be satisfied about the fact that he ‘got what he deserved for so many stolen missions.’ He knew this, as he heard small whispers and barks of laughter abruptly stop as he drew near, but nobody comforted him or voiced their worries. 

It became an unspoken rule to never speak of Henry, even just his name. There was a rumor going around that, last time that happened, Charles had broken down in front of everyone, sobbing and shrieking until his throat was raw and he had no voice left, then continuing to sob and wail until he was knocked out with a tranquilizer. Afterwards, he mourned in solitude for several days, refusing to eat, drink, or sleep in the confinement of his home. 

Charles became nothing but an empty husk, wandering around the base aimlessly.

Apart from going home to stare blankly at the room Henry used to occupy when they were roommates, all he did was grieve or fly around on his helicopter.

Whenever he was in the air, he was in a state of euphoria. He was free.

Free from responsibilities, from the gazes and stares, from the judgement.

When he flew, it felt like his friend was back, simply chilling quietly in the back of the helicopter as they returned home to watch a movie together.

He finally felt like everything would be alright.

But when he wasn’t up there, when his feet touched the ground, his mind was pulled back into reality. Where, in his mind, only questions cluttered his judgement.

‘What did I do wrong? Why is the universe torturing me this way? Is this my punishment for existing? For flying? For failing? Did I not work hard enough on everything I did? Is this my punishment for befriending a former criminal..?’

‘Is it because I befriended a particular silent thief..?’

‘Is it because I fell for Henry..?’

‘...Is it because of how much I loved, cherished, and adored him while he was here, so they took him away so I could be broken now, when he’s gone...?’

‘......Is it because I don’t deserve someone as perfect as he.....?’

Those questions, along with a few voices which taunted him, that told him he was a freak, that Henry never would’ve loved him, that Charles didn’t deserve him...that he simply wasn’t good enough and he would never be good enough...

They ate him up inside, their small, silent whispers the only thing he could hear.

Throughout that whole time, his helicopter was the only thing he looked forward to.

The only person who spoke to him while he was in that state was General Galeforce, who tried to reassure him and attempted to encourage him back into work.

Until the night when it all fell apart...

Charles had never really thought about it. About the fact that he was the only one who drove Galeforce to and fro. About the fact that the man seemed to favor him for no reason whatsoever. About the fact that he could always hear something lurking behind those reassuring things he said, hidden in the shadows of comfort and ignored in his clouded mind.

About the fact that he always, no matter what, called him ‘Charlie’...

It was late at night when the general invited him out for drinks. Charles accepted his invitation, thinking it would be like all the other times he drank with his superior and thinking alcohol would be a decent attempt to help numb his emotions. He assumed this was another attempt to coax him back into work.

So, of course he was surprised when the general, while very drunk, tried to coax him into something else instead...

Of course, Charles didn’t let him do anything before quickly escaping the situation and running all the way home, even if his legs were weakened due to lack of nourishment.

After three or four days, Charles came back, but he had only returned to fly his helicopter. He came back so he could cope with his emotions, but was instead feeling extremely anxious, his once safe place now terrifying to him as he tried to calm his nerves.

When he reached his helicopter’s usual spot, he was met with an unexpected surprise. 

It wasn’t there.

Not only that, but he could see it, up in the air, a new recruit he didn’t recognize flying it around, and General Galeforce waiting in the spot he knew Charles would immediately go to.

He gulped and tried to bury his emotions, like how he’d been numb the past few months, before approaching the general with the most neutral expression he could muster.

“General.”

“I need to speak with you in my office, Charles. Now.”

Charles’ anxiety and nervousness immediately returned, making him feel slight nausea.

General Galeforce had never called him anything other than ‘Charlie’ before...

He simply followed the general, seeing as he was is superior and he didn’t really have a choice. As they walked past Charles’ coworkers, he noticed that all eyes were on him, at least more than usual. They held even more pity than ever before, some even showing obvious disgust and hatred, yet nobody tried approaching him. It made him feel even worse, and he desperately wished he could just go back to the way things were before, when Henry had been by his side.

Not that he hadn’t been wishing for that beforehand.

As they reached the general’s office, Charles was feeling numb again. Still a bit nervous, if the feeling in his stomach was to be believed, but definitely a lot less than before.

“Mr. Calvin, I am sorry to inform you that you are hereby dismissed from your duties.”

That was the moment Charles lost the only thing that kept him going.

It was all a blur, how he had protested against it since the general allowed him as much time as he needed. How he had worked so, so hard and completed too many missions to count, with only one failed mission on his perfect run. How he had obtained his pilot’s license a lot sooner than expected and how he had been referred to as ‘the best pilot in the entire base’ in several different bases before the one he was currently in. How he had risked his life every time he went out there, and once nearly lost it...

General Galeforce ignored his protests, and fired him for the smallest little thing. Something that wasn’t even a good enough reason for anyone to be fired.

Which meant he had been fired because he ran away that night.

So there he was, back where this story began, staring into the distance as he tried to comprehend what he had done to deserve the harshest punishment imaginable after trying his best his entire life.

He had just wanted to fly, yet he had been left with even less than he had in the first place. He was given something just so he would snap when it was taken away.

The universe’s little plaything, as though the universe enjoyed breaking him, piece by piece, until there was nothing left.

He returned home, not a broken man, but a completely shattered husk. All he could do was go through the few things he had been allowed to keep after being dismissed.

That’s when he found it... The thing that would bring a ray of light into his horrible, painful life.

He found a particular picture that he had always kept in his helicopter for good luck. The photo was one that he and Henry took together after their first successful operation. They had taken a photo in front of the helicopter, the files clearly shown in Henry’s hand, so they could always remember the crazy way the two had met.

That photo gave Charles something he hadn’t felt in months...

He felt hope.

And he felt a plan forming in his head.

The very next day was the day he put his greatest plan into action.

He woke up extremely early in the morning, and packed up everything he had from his home. Not like he would need it, if he was successful. Or even if he wasn’t.

He made sure to get every memory of Henry he could, leaving some other items behind to make room for them.

Afterwards, he headed to the base on foot, so nobody would see him, and snuck in.

It reminded him of Henry, since he had been the one to teach him how to sneak in on one of their stealth missions. His heart ached at the bittersweet memory.

After stealing government files and important documents, along with all of the passwords and confidential information from the general’s computer, which he saved in a flash drive he then placed in his headset, he headed towards the forbidden facility that only he and a few others had access to. It easily opened, seeing as he had not been removed from the system and he knew it would take a while to do so.

Then, he found it.

It was a secret government prototype that was currently unavailable because it was so hard to manage, the controls being too much for the average pilot. The only person that had been allowed to fly it, for testing reasons, had been Charles himself, so he definitely knew what he was doing when he decided to take it. He placed all of his stuff next to him and prepared for flight.

For a few brief moments, he thought about what he was doing.

Was it really worth it to risk everything, his job, coworkers, his years upon years of experience, and stability, just for the possibility to fly once more?

.....Yes. It was.

Not like Charles had anything left to lose anyways.

So, he started up the prototype, making sure to have a clear escape plan so he could have a quick getaway. Right as he was about to takeoff, he saw a lot of armed soldiers come inside, wielding guns, his former general being among them.

They locked eyes for less than a second, yet the general could see all of the determination, hatred, and rage in Charles’ eyes.

Just as Galeforce let out a “Charlie!”, he was already up in the air, navigating towards his destination.

After what felt like a few minutes of flying in pure bliss, but was most likely less than an hour, his target was in sight.

The Toppat space base.

Charles already knew what he was getting into when he began planning this, but he didn’t really care anymore.

As long as his plan worked, it would all be worth it.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise to him when he began getting shot at. After all, he was driving around a vehicle that clearly belonged to the government right into the territory of an enemy base. He didn’t particularly mind, since all he had to do was maneuver away from the oncoming danger, which gave him an even more enjoyable rush of adrenaline.

He clicked a couple of buttons, and managed to send out a white flag, which he himself had placed on the side of the vehicle, to indicate he came in peace. He hoped they would buy it since, as much as he wanted to, crashing into the base wasn’t an option.

Luckily, it seemed to work, as they stopped sending bullets and lasers his way. He saw as a specific area on the side of the base opened up to reveal what appeared to be a large garage for armed vehicles. There was an open space in which Charles supposed he was meant to land his vehicle.

He parked in the base and took everything he had brought before getting out, making sure the giant door had been closed so he would be able to breathe without a helmet. The moment Charles stepped out, he was immediately met by armed Toppat members surrounding him, their weapons raised and ready to shoot.

Charles simply sighed, unfazed by his current situation. He had half expected something like this to occur, seeing as a government pilot was inside the base of one of the biggest crime organizations on earth...

...And outside earth, apparently.

Charles simply put his hands up, as a sign of surrender. They all stood in silence as the Right Hand Man and the Toppat leader, Reginald Copperbottom, approached him. 

The Right Hand Man pointed his cyborg hand/gun (which he didn’t know how he got, since he just became a cyborg one day, according to the government) at him from behind the leader as he spoke to him.

“My, my, what a bold action, soldier, coming into the Toppat base with no reinforcements. So, why are you here? Did the government send you to negotiate or something?”

“No, sir.”

“Did they tell you to send a message?”

“No, sir”

“So? Why are you here?”

Charles stared at him dead in the eyes. This was the moment he had been waiting for. The moment that would determine if he failed or not.

“I’ve come to join the Toppat Clan.”

The man’s eyes turned into curiosity, then into amusement.

“Pfft- How many government spies do you think have wanted to ‘join’ so they could collect information on us? And how many do you think succeeded?”

“With all due respect sir, I am not a spy. I am simply a pilot with experience on the field. And, of course I know. A lot of my colleagues decided to be fools and go against strict orders to ‘try to be a hero’, none of them ever coming back. I, unlike my former coworkers, am not a fool. I am legitimately going against everything I’ve been trained to do, and I’ve brought proof and reasons why it would be beneficial to have me in this clan.”

He continued to stare at Charles, his gaze now analyzing instead of mocking.

“So? Why, exactly, do you think I should believe you and why would we ever allow you into our ranks?”

“Sir, I am a highly trained pilot, one of the strongest soldiers, and was among the higher ups when I worked for the government. I do not care for danger, and I do not mind whatever missions I am sent on. I’ll accept whatever place I am given in this clan, so long as I am allowed to fly freely. I could make a fantastic getaway pilot or decent thief, if you wish, or something as simple as a janitor. I stole all of the files we had on the Toppat Clan and deleted all other information on you, as well as bringing other extremely confidential files and complete access to General Galeforce’s computer, which specializes in the capturing of the Toppat Clan. I am capable of giving you temporary access to other very useful information, seeing as I have not yet been removed from the system. If you’ll have me, you may have all of these, plus an extra recruit.”

“And what if we don’t accept? You’re not in an ideal situation here.”

“Then you have permission to kill me, and take the files I brought. However, you will not have all of the passwords I was made to memorize, or the information on my hard drive, which will be destroyed if I am killed.”

He chuckled and turned around, facing his Right Hand Man.

“Call the boss. Ask him if we should accept him into the clan or not.”

He nodded and the cyborg called someone, his left eye becoming a phone.

“Aren’t you the leader?”

“Hm? Oh. No, I’m not. Not anymore, at least. Still one of the higher ups, though, so watch yourself.”

A few moments later, Right Hand Man pointed at me.

“Name?”

“Charles Calvin, sir. Government pilot bar code #001 if you want to confirm.”

The Right Hand Man simply continued to quietly speak to whoever was on the other side before ending his call.

“Boss said to make him one of the higher ups and to begin his initiation at once. He wants to meet him later before deciding exactly what to do with him.”

Charles’ eyes widened in surprise. He never would’ve imagined he would be in the higher ranks right at the start, let alone be meeting the leader.

Copperbottom nodded, and turned to the people still surrounding them.

“Stand down, men, this man is now your superior. Show some respect from now on.”

All of them put down their weapons, and they began to disperse.

The initiation wasn’t anything special, what really stood out was having to pick out a new uniform. This uniform, in his opinion, looked a lot better than the old, green government jacket he wore all the time. 

He was wearing a crimson button up shirt with loose, black dress pants, a black belt with a golden buckle wrapped tightly around his waist. He was still wearing his black combat boots, which the material of the pants was tucked into. Over his dark red shirt was a bright red coat with golden accents, two strings that hung loosely in front of his chest keeping the fabric secured. He was wearing black, fingerless gloves, and still had his signature headset with him. Apart from the headset, he was wearing a black top hat, with a red ribbon and the golden letters “CH” attached to said ribbon.

Although Charles had no idea why they already had a hat with his initials on it at the ready, he decided not to question it.

After changing, sharing the government’s deepest secrets and files, handing over the hard drive, confessing all confidential passwords, putting his stuff away, as well as getting to know the place a bit, the time finally came for Charles to meet the leader of the Toppats.

To say he was nervous was an understatement.

While he was waiting for whoever had to lead him to the leader’s room, he let his mind wander.

‘I bet Henry would be surprised to see me join the enemy... Although, knowing him, he probably would’ve joined as well...’

He allowed the suppressed memories to rush back, now greeting them with a smile and a few stray tears instead of sobs.

‘Maybe everything will be alright from now on... even if you’re no longer with me...’

“Charles Calvin?”

He was quickly snapped out of his thoughts as a woman stood in front of him, quickly wiping away the tears that stuck to his cheeks. She had short rose, red hair and a pink hat with purple flowers. Her outfit was mostly black with red, complimenting her hair, and indicated that she was also one of the higher ups.

Charles simply nodded, not feeling capable of talking without choking on his words after thinking about Henry again.

“Alright then, please follow me to the boss’ office and don’t be slow, or I will leave you behind.”

He simply nodded again and followed her, examining the hallways as they walked in silence. 

They stopped in a room at the end of the maze hallways, the door looming over him.

The red haired woman simply pressed a button and waited, until a buzz was heard and the doors slid open. 

Charles was in awe.

The room was huge, pretty much a living area aside from being an office. There wasn’t much light in the room, but he could still see the silhouette of a figure, facing away from him and staring into what appeared to be shutters. 

The Toppat member walked in nonchalantly, clearly unfazed by the sight of the leader or whatever Charles was feeling at the moment.

“Hey, boss! Ellie here. Just wanted to tell you that I did what you asked, and brought the newbie. Can I leave yet? I’m really tired after the last mission and I wanna sleep.”

“Of course, Ellie. You are dismissed.”

That voice... Charles knew he recognized it from somewhere, but he couldn’t put his finger on it...

Ellie simply turned around and walked out, yawning on her way to the door.

The door shut, leaving Charles and the Toppat leader in silence.

Charles was the first to break the silence.

“Sir, you wanted to see me?”

“Yeah. I’ve been wanting to see you for a long time, Charles. I’ve missed you.”

Charles was confused for a few moments, before the man turned around and clicked a button on his desk. Immediately, the shutters moved out of the way, showing off a spectacular view of the earth and moon and allowing a dim light to flood the room just enough for everything to be visible while maintaining its mysterious, brooding darkness.

Charles gasped in shock, but it wasn’t at the amazing/literally out-of-this-world view, it was at the leader.

It was him... 

Charles stepped back for a moment, not believing his eyes. He had to be hallucinating, or dreaming, or he must’ve been going crazy. Maybe all three?

There was no way that was Henry.

But, it was undeniable that it was, in fact, Henry. He standing right in from of him, nonchalantly placing his weight on his left arm, which was resting on his desk. He was wearing a white button up shirt underneath a black coat, the black coat having golden accents as well. He was wearing a bright red cape over his shoulders with gold strings and accents as well, much like the coat Charles was wearing. He had black gloves on and, to finish up the look, a black top hat with a golden chain wrapped around where the ribbon would be, a golden “S” attached to the chain. He still had the earpiece he always wore on missions when he and Charles worked together.

Charles immediately felt a flurry of all kinds of emotions within him. He, once again, didn’t know how to feel.

What he did know, however, was that his best friend and crush was alive, and standing in front of him.

“H-Henry..?”

Henry chuckled and approached him, using his sign language to communicate instead of words.

‘The one and only.’

Charles could feel himself shaking, his eyes no longer able to withstand staring at the man. He faced towards the floor as he walked backwards, the thoughts in his head rambling, becoming less and less coherent until his back hit the wall beside the closed door. Charles tried to speak, only to find that he simply couldn’t.

“B-b-but you- But w-we- I-I didn’t- Y-you-“

His incoherent mumbles cut off as he felt a hand reach under his chin, tilting his head upwards and causing him to stare deep into Henry’s eyes.

“Yes?”

That simple question was all it took for Charles’ face to become completely red, making him struggle even more to find his voice. Eventually, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, managing to calm down before leaning into the touch.

“Why did you leave..?”

Henry flinched at the question, before he scratched the back of his head nervously. 

“Charles, as much as I enjoyed working and going on missions with you, I always knew that my true purpose was elsewhere. I always knew I would eventually have to leave, and so, I did. On that mission in which we had to stop the Toppats, I was offered a position which, if I took, would allow me to save your life after you heroically took several bullets for me. I saw my chance, our chance, and I took it, becoming one of the Toppat’s higher ups and working my way towards the top.”

Charles felt his body sagging, leaning more weight onto the Henry’s hand, which was now gently cupping his cheek. He had missed him so much.

“Why’d you stay?”

Henry smirked.

“Is that any way to speak to your superior, Charles?”

Charles felt a shiver course through him at those words. This was the most the other had ever spoken.

“I stayed for you, Charles. I didn’t want you to go through the pain of losing someone dear... but I couldn’t turn down this chance. This is where I belong, making my own rules and working under my own circumstances. I’ve always seen how loyal you are, to your work, your goals, your dreams... It really is an admirable thing to possess. And I also saw how you, a government pilot who thought he lost it all, gave up everything, your work, stability, your commitment to the law... just because of your loyalty to me...”

Henry chuckled a bit at Charles’ reaction as he gasped, surprised to hear the other had been spying on him from afar this entire time, and his face somehow became an even deeper shade of crimson. Charles barely noticed as his hat fell onto the floor, only leaving that familiar, red headset the young pilot never took off.

“And here you are now, the newest member of the Toppats. My new right hand man, personal chauffeur, and my partner in crime...”

His smirk faltered, becoming a genuine, sweet smile, as he took Charles’ hat off the floor and placed it back on his head. Henry extended his other hand, as if he meant for Charles to take it, as his smirk came back, sharper than ever before.

“Charles Calvin... Welcome to the Toppat Clan...”

Charles felt himself melt at those words, his legs becoming too weak to keep him standing, all of his weight practically on Henry’s fingers. He felt like he should’ve been angry at him, upset for leaving him behind, saddened by his unexpected departure. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to actually care at the moment. He simply stared into the Toppat leader’s eyes, cupping the hand Henry had on his cheek.

“At your service, sir...”

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t hate Galeforce please don’t hate me-  
> Thank you all so much for reading and, if you have any suggestions for me to write or any constructive criticism, please don’t hesitate to let me know.


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